Refrigerating apparatus



Dec. 6, 1932.

H. B. HULL REFRIGERAT ING APPARATUS Original Filed Feb. 25, 1924 2A 7 50 L L 1:"" 27" I o l 7 30 45 l J 2 EB Reiuued Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE HARRY B. HULL, OI DAYTON, OHIO, ABSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO FBIGID- AIRE CORPORATION, A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE BEIBIGERATINQ APPARATUS Original No; 1,778,542, dated October 28.1930, Serial No. 694,928, filed February 25, 1924. Application 101' reissue filed larch 28, 1982. Serial No. 601,659.

This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to the type of the water to the ice tray containing apparatus adapted for household use having means for freezing ice cubes from water which is placed in trays, the trays belng ,received by a cooling unit in the refrlgerator cabinet.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide for releasing the ice cubes from the trays in which they are frozen. One manner of accomplishing this is to'proyide for holding an ice tray in inverted position and subjecting the same to the action of a relatively warm medium in the cabinet such as a current of relatively warm air so that the cubes may melt sli htly and drop from the tray into a suitabde receptacle. In one of the forms of the invention shownherein the ice tray from which the cubes are to be released is placed in inverted position and serves as a shelf to sup ort a tray contamin water to be frozen. ere is a transfer of cat from frozen cubes causing the cubes to melt s iglitly and be released by their ownweight from the ice tray.

F urther, objects and advantages of the resent invention will be apparent from the ollowing description, reference beinghad to the accompanyin drawing, wherein a preferred form of em odiment of the. present invention'is clearly shown. r

In the-drawing:

Fig.1 is a front elevation M away of a refrigerator cabinet conta ning a refrigerating machine equipped with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the coollng unit shown in Fig. 1, this view being taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1.

' Fig. 3 is a fragmentary viewof a refrigerator cabinet showing-a cooling unit emplo ing a modified form of the invention.

E ig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. Referringto the drawing, the refrigerator cabinet shown in Fig. 1 includes a cooling chamber 21 and a food chamber 22 anda machinery chamber 23. In chamber 23 there is located a refrigerating unit 24 which inthe partly broken cludes a motor driven compressor and condenser connected by pipes 25 and 26 with the evaporating chamber 27 of the cooling unit 28. Unit 28 includes a brine tank 29 which is cooled by the evaporation of the refrigerant in the evaporator 27. The brine tank 29 is provided with recesses ada ted-to receive one or more ice trays 30 wh1ch are divided by suitable partitions so that water in the trays will be frozen into a plurality of icecubes 31 (see Fig. 2). The partition 32 which divides the food chamber 22 from the cooling chamber 31 is provided with openings 33 and 34. During the operation In order to facilitate the removal of the ice cubes from the trays 30 advantage is taken of the entrance of warm air into the cooling chamber 21 through the opening 34. The

brine tank 29 is so formed that it may support an ice tray 30 in inverted position adja cent the opening 34 so as to subject the ice in the tray to the action of the warm air entering'through the opening 34. The brine tank 29 supports an angle iron 40, and brackets 41 providedwith horizontal ears 42 in the same horizontal plane with the horizontal flange of the angle iron 40. In this manner a shelf is provided for placing thereon in inverted position one of the ice trays 30 as 2 shown in Fig. 2. The top surface of the brine tank 29 and the top edges of the brackets 41 extend above the lower edge of the tray 30, as

inverted, so as to limit sidewise movement of Y thet'ray 30. Under the tray 30 there is 10- cated a shelf 43 made of wire screen material having a flange 44 along its lower edge.

This shelf is downwardly inclined toward thedoor 37 of the cabinet. As the ice cubes 31 are melted slightly, due to the action of warmer air, they will be loosened from the chute will drain from a lip 46 upon the partitions 32 and can be carried away through a drain pipe 47.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the brine tank 60 in which are located the refrigerant coils 61 connected with the evaporator 27, is in the form of a hollow rec tangular tubular member including a central recess 62 bounded by side walls 63, a to wall 64'and a bottom wall 65. The side wal s 63 carry angle irons 66 adapted to support an ice tray in inverted position, and one at 30min normal position. The side walls 33 are spaced so that sidewise movement of the trays is limited in order that the trays will not be disengaged accidently from the brackets 66. The bottom wall 65 may support another tray 30b. Between the brackets 66 and the tray 3012, the side walls 33 support an ice cube receiving shelf 70 provided with a flange 71 at the lower edge of the shelf 70 which is adjacent the door 37 of the cooling chamber, 21, as in the case of the shelf 42 shown in Fig. 2. Below the screen shelf there is located a drain board or chute 7 2 which is inclined toward the rear wall of the refrigerator cabinet and is provided with a lip 73 from which water drains upon the partition '33 and is carried away by suitable drain 1 es. p In order to use the invention shown in Figs. 3 and 4, 'water is placed in one of the ice trays and this tray is placed upon the wall 65 of the brine tank. After the water therein has been frozen into cubes it is placed in inverted position indicated at 30 in Fig. 4.

In order to loosen the ice cubes 31 in the tray 30, a tray 30a containing water is placed upon the tray 30. On account of the transfer of heat from the water in 30a to the ice in tray-30, the ice cubes will be loosened and fall upon the screen shelf 7 0. Water dripping from the tray 30 and the ice cubes on the shelf 71 will be caught by the drain board 72 and be conducted away. It is apparent that the shelves 43 and 70 in the structures are exposed to a relatively colder temperature than the trays when said trays are in the ice releasin position. Consequently after the ice s have been released from the tray they 'will be exposed to a relatively colder zone and will not melt appreciably, if at all.

The advantages of this invention are apparent since theoperation of the refrigerating a paratus is used to loosen the ice cubes, there ore, the user doesnot need to resort to the use of an ice pick or the practice of plac- While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that' other forms might be adopted,all coming.

within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

iniethe trayin water inorder to loosen the cu s;

1. Refrigerating apparatus comprising,i1i

combination, a cabinet, a coolin unit therein,

means associated with the coo ing unit for holding a receptacle of substance to be frozen and-means for holding the tray in inverted position and subjecting the same to; a relatively warm medium in the cabinet whereb the substance therein will be loosened and fall from the tray, means for receiving-the sub-.

tray in an inverted position in a current, of

warmer air circulating adjacent the top of the cooling unit, and means supported by the unit for receiving the ice falling from the tray.

3. Refrigerating apparatus comprising a cabinet having a food compartment and a cooling compartment, a wall therebetween having'an opening to permit circulation of warm air from the food compartmentto the cooling compartment, and means in the cooling compartment for supporting a tray of frozen substance in an inverted osition adjacent the aforesaid opening in t e wall and therein will be loosened and fall'from the receptacle, and storage means disposed in a relatively cold portion of said cabinet for receiving the frozen substance as it fall from said receptacle.

of the cabinet whereby the rozen su stance 5. Refrigerating apparatuscomprising, in

combination, a cabinet, a cooling unit therein,

.means associated with the cooling unit for holding a receptacle of material to be frozen,

and means carried by the cooling unit for holding the receptacle in inverted position and in heat absorbing relation to a relatively warm air current in the cabinet whereby the ice therein will be loosened and fall from the tray, said last named means being accessible for manipulating said receptacle from the frontof said cabinet. 1

6. In a refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination,

' within the cabinet for releasing the substance from the receptacle, and storage means in intimate heat exchange relation with the cooling means for receiving the frozen substance as it is released from the receptacle.

7. In a refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet, cooling means therein, a receptacle adapted to contain a'substance to be frozen, means for holding the receptacle in intimate heat exchange relation with the cooling means for freezing the substance in said receptacle, means especially constructed for holding the receptacle in inverted position in heat receiving relation to a relativelywarm'medium within the cabinet for releasing the substance from the receptacle, and storage means below the last means and in intimate heat exchange relation with the cooling means for receiving the frozen substance as it is released from the receptacle.

8. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination a cabinet, a cooling unit there-' in, means, associated with the cooling unit for holding a receptacle containing material to be frozen and holding the receptacle in inverted position in heat absorbing relation with a relatively warm medium in the cabinet to release the frozen material from thereceptacle, and means in the cabinetfor receiving the frozen material falling'from the receptacle, said means being disposed below'said receptacle a distance at least as great as the depth of the receptacle.

9. Refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination a cabinet, a cooling unlt therein, means associated with the cooling unit for holding a receptacle of material to be frozen, means carried by the cooling unit for holding the receptacle in inverted position in heat absorbing relation to relatively warm air in the cabinet to release the frozen material from the receptacle, and means in the cabinet 7 for receiving the frozen material falling from the receptacle, said means being disposed below said receptacle a distance at least as great as the depth of the receptacle.

- I 10. In a refrigerating apparatus comprising in combination, a cabinet, a cooling unit, therein, a receptacle for containing m'atermlto be frozen, and disposed in freezing relation to a relatively cold portion of said unit, means associated with a relatively warm portion of said unit for holding said tray in inverted position to release the frozen material from said receptacle, and means for receiving the" receptacle, and means for receiving the frozen material dropped from the receptacle, said means being disposed below said receptacle :1 distance at least as great as the depthof the receptacle. j

12. In a mechanical refrigerator of the household type the method of harvesting individual ice blocks which consists in placing a partitioned container of ice in an inverted position in heat exchange relation with a relatively warm medium in the refriegrator to separate the ice into blocks and releasethe blocks, said medium bein cooled by the ice melted to release the bloc s.

13. household type the method of harvesting individual ice blocks which consists in' placing a partitioned container of ice in an inverted position in heat exchange relation with relatively warm circulating air in the refrigerator to se arate the ice into blocks and release the bloc s, said circulating air being cooled by the ice melted to release the blocks.

14. A heating apparatus of the class described comprislng a'support, a heating element associated therewith, and an inverted ice-tray mounted on said support, said supreleased material, said means being disposed In a mechanical refrigerator "of thei testimony whereof I hereto afiix my sigi 

